Leonard Shecter (September 5, 1926 – January 19, 1974) was an American journalist and author. He edited

Jim Bouton James Alan Bouton (; March 8, 1939 – July 10, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves between 196 ...

's groundbreaking ''

Ball Four ''Ball Four: My Life and Hard Times Throwing the Knuckleball in the Big Leagues'' is a book by Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bouton, edited by Leonard Shecter and first published in 1970. The book is a diary of Bouton's 1969 season, sp ...

'', as well as its sequel, ''I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally''.

Journalism career

Shecter worked as a sports journalist for the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

''. While traveling with the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

, in 1958, Shecter told his editors about a minor altercation between the coach

Ralph Houk Ralph George Houk (; August 9, 1919 – July 21, 2010), nicknamed "the Major", was an American catcher, coach (baseball), coach, manager (baseball), manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the successor o ...

and the pitcher

Ryne Duren Rinold George "Ryne" Duren (February 22, 1929 – January 6, 2011) was an American professional baseball relief pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was known for the combination of his blazing fastball and his very ...

; the subsequent published story, printed without a byline, was among the first in sports journalism to provide a behind-the-scenes look at professional sports team squabbles. Shecter also wrote for '' Look'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', and ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', where he published a famous profile of

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( ; June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in Ame ...

Literary career

Shecter's first book was a paperback biography of

Roger Maris Roger Eugene Maris (born Maras; September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for setting a new List of Major League Baseball p ...

. It was a positive portrayal of the ballplayer, although Maris was upset that it was written without being authorized. ''Once Upon a Time: The Early Years of the New York Mets'' covered the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They are one of two major l ...

' 1962 and 1963 seasons. Shecter, who knew Jim Bouton during the pitcher's Yankees days, suggested that Bouton keep a diary of his 1969 season. The diary, edited by Shecter, became ''Ball Four''. Shecter, in part, wanted to provide an alternative to books such as

Jim Brosnan James Patrick Brosnan (October 24, 1929 – June 28, 2014) was an American baseball player and author who played in Major League Baseball in 1954 and from 1956 through 1963. A right-handed pitcher, he appeared in 385 games, largely in relief, f ...

's ''The Long Season'', which Shecter considered a sanitized version of baseball life. Baseball Commissioner

Bowie Kuhn Bowie Kent Kuhn (; October 28, 1926 – March 15, 2007) was an American lawyer and sports administrator who served as the fifth commissioner of Major League Baseball from February 4, 1969, to September 30, 1984. He served as legal counsel for M ...

tried to get Bouton to blame the contentious book on Shecter. ''On the Pad'', written with William Phillips, was an exposé on police corruption; Phillips had appeared before the

Knapp Commission The Commission to Investigate Alleged Police Corruption (known informally as the Knapp Commission after its chairman Whitman Knapp) was a five-member panel formed in May 1970 by Mayor John V. Lindsay to investigate corruption and misconduct wi ...

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called ''The Jocks'' a "wicked, funny, and often startling expose of the games played off the field and the scores that never get posted."

Death

Shecter died on January, 19, 1974, from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

Bibliography

*''Roger Maris: Home Run Hero'' (1961) *''Once Upon a Time: The Early Years of the New York Mets'' (1969) *''The Jocks'' (1969) *''Once Upon the Polo Grounds: The Mets That Were'' (1970) *''

'', with

(1970) *''I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally'', with Jim Bouton (1971) *''On the Pad: The Underworld and Its Corrupt Police, Confessions of a Cop on the Take'', with William Phillips (1973)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shecter, Leonard 1926 births 1974 deaths Sportswriters from New York (state) Journalists from New York City American male biographers New York University alumni Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) New York Post people 20th-century American male writers American sports journalists